How To Open A Web Page

How to Forward Web Pages

By Kevin Lee

i Ingram Publishing/Ingram Publishing/Getty Images

In an ideal world, you could click a button and email an intriguing Web page instantly to anyone on the planet. Firefox, Chrome and Internet Explorer don't have that button, but they do allow you to install add-ons that forward pages. These add-ons are free, small and install in minutes. You also have the option to save a Web page to your hard drive and email it manually as an attachment. This process takes longer than using an add-on, but you don't need to install anything to use it.

Save Web Page Manually

Every browser has a save feature you can use to save the current Web page to your hard drive in different formats. Click your browser's menu button and then click "Save Page" if you're using Firefox. Click "File" followed by "Save As" if you use IE. If you're saving in Chrome, click "Save Page As." A window opens that displays your folders and files. Navigate to the desired folder and type a name for the file in the File Name text box. Give it a meaningful name so you can find it again when you're ready to email it. Click the "Save As Type" drop-down menu and select "Webpage, complete (.htm;.html)" if you use Firefox or IE. If you use Chrome, click "Webpage, Complete." Click "Save," and your browser saves all the files needed to reconstruct the Web page.

Create a Single Zip File

Launch File Explorer and go to the folder where you saved the page. You'll see a subfolder that has the same name you typed in the browser's "Save as" text box. That folder contains all the files needed to reconstruct the Web page. Right-click that folder, click "Send to" followed by "Compressed (zipped) Folder." File Explorer compresses the folder's files and stores them in a new Zip folder that has the same name. This folder's type is Compressed (zipped) Folder. You'll see that in File Explorer's Type column. Drag the HTML file you saved on top of the Zip folder and File Explorer stores a copy of the HTML file in that folder. When you're done, your new Zip folder contains the HTML Web page and all files needed to display it in a browser.

Email the Web Page

Compose a new email in your email client and add the Zip folder as an attachment. When your recipient receives the folder, he can double-click it to unzip the folder and view its contents. He can then double-click the HTML file and his browser displays the same Web page you saw. This method assumes that you want your recipient to see the same Web page you viewed. Alternatively, you could click "Web Page, HTML Only (.htm;.html) when you select an option from the "Save as Type" drop-down menu. However, your recipient may not see the same Web page you saw because this option doesn't store all the files needed to recreate the Web page. You don't have to zip any files if you choose "Web Page, HTML Only" because your browser saves a single HTML file you can send as an attachment.

Install a Firefox Add-on

Several developers have created Firefox add-ons -- such as Email the Web -- that you can use to save browser pages and email them quickly. This add-on also helps you email Web pages that are password protected or require registration. The Email This add-on takes a different approach by emailing your recipients a link to the page you're viewing. The email also contains the page's title and any text you highlighted while you were viewing the page.

Use Chrome Extensions

Google Chrome calls its add-ons extensions. The Chrome Send Page extension is similar to the Firefox Email This add-on. After you install Send Page, you right-click the current Web page and select "Send this Page." Your default email client opens, and you compose a message containing a link to the page. Install the Fireshot extension, and you can capture an image of a Web page and email it. You also have the option to edit the image and add annotations before you send it as an email.

Email a Page Using an IE Add-on

Add the Add to Any add-on to IE and you can email interesting Web pages and share them on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Reddit. You can also use this add-on to share a page's link by way of instant messenger. With the Shareaholic add-on, you bookmark Web pages and email them to others. You also have the option to share pages you discover on social networks such as Digg, Facebook and StumbleUpon.

References

Writer Bio

After majoring in physics, Kevin Lee began writing professionally in 1989 when, as a software developer, he also created technical articles for the Johnson Space Center. Today this urban Texas cowboy continues to crank out high-quality software as well as non-technical articles covering a multitude of diverse topics ranging from gaming to current affairs.